Our High Councilor Promised The Key to Happiness

[Charming]

Our High Councilor last Sunday said that he would give us the key to happiness in these perilous last days of the world. He talked of the wickedness and the challenges of our day and how the prophets have repeatedly told us we live in "perilous times". He likened our day to the people in the 21st year of the reign of the judges, how there were former Nephites who were anxious to bring the Lamanites against them to destroy them, but that they were happy anyway, "But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi" (Alma 50:23).

Then he went on to say how they were prospered by the Lord because of their righteousness and we can be as happy as they...through these last perilous days...if we were diligent in following those things found in the "Duty to God" pamphlet.

I appreciate what our High Councilor was teaching, telling us we would be happy if we learned our duty, made plans to do it, and then followed through on those plans, for recently, President Eyring counseled the same thing, "Ponder deeply and diligently in the scriptures and in the words of living prophets. Persist in prayer for the Holy Ghost to reveal to you the nature of God the Father and His Beloved Son. Plead that the Spirit will show you what the Lord wants you to do. Plan to do it. Promise Him to obey. Act with determination until you have done what He asked. And then pray to give thanks for the opportunity to serve and to know what you might do next."

The people in Moroni's time WERE happy and blessed because they were living righteously. But there is "the rest of the story." They had just spent the past several years preparing: including armor, arms, huge fortifications of EVERY city, greatly increasing the army, etc. They were EXTREMELY prepared as they followed every counsel of Moroni, in fact the Lamanites were afraid to come against them in battle...for many years!!!

As we follow the spirit we become increasingly Christlike, and He was obedient in all things, so as we follow the spirit we become diligent in efforts to become obedient in all things also. In our day, the Lord has given us much counsel through his prophets to help us in the increasingly perilous times ahead. Just a few years ago the First Presidency reiterated one of the Lord's commandments with these words...

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.

We encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.

We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.

We realize that some of you may not have financial resources or space for such storage. Some of you may be prohibited by law from storing large amounts of food. We encourage you to store as much as circumstances allow.

May the Lord bless you in your home storage efforts.

The First Presidency

This was given to the Church through home teachers, in ward meetings, in the Ensign, etc. I believe that the Lord REALLY wanted us all to receive His commandment to "prepare every needful thing."

When food storage in my ward is brought up, usually two things are discussed: 1) that you really don't need it, all you need is to be spiritually prepared to make it through the last days and 2) when things get bad all the food in the stake will be "called in" by the ward or stake leadership. So, if you have temporally prepared, you need to become even more spiritually prepared because your heart must be ready to share.

There is some truth to that, I will always be grateful to a dear sister after the Chile earthquake who shared her stored food and water (a couple of cupfuls a day) with a certain new missionary...

But what if a disaster takes days or weeks? If there were an earthquake my town would be completely cut off! (there are many bridges and overpasses between here and any bigger city. But probably going to a big city in search of food would be the last thing you should do (the churches storehouse is far smaller than the grocery stores that are emptied quickly in disasters.) Going to the country isn't a solution either, because in much of my state at least, farmers grow hay, not grains, fruit or vegetables.

Brigham Young conjectured this about the possible consequences of ignoring the counsel to store food, "I can see death, misery and want on the faces of this people. But some may say, ‘I have faith (in) the Lord...’ What ground have we to hope this? Have I any good reason to say to my Father in heaven, ‘Fight my battles,’ when He has given me the sword to wield, the arm and the brain that I can fight for myself?...I can pray the people to hearken to wisdom, to listen to counsel; but to ask God to do for me that which I can do for myself is preposterous to my mind."

During the recession of the early 1980s (which greatly affected my family as that was the year my husband graduated from BYU with his Master's in administration with no job), Elder Victor L. Brown spoke out saying, "Within the last twelve months, the distribution of fast offerings and commodities by the bishops has been alarming. At the present rate of demand, the Church resources will be almost expended in a short time...It would appear that in altogether too many cases the teachings about preparedness have been either misunderstood or knowingly rejected. Many of our members appear to feel that when difficulty comes, the Church will come to their aid...I feel our anxieties are justified. It is the opinion of many that more difficult times lie ahead. We are deeply concerned about the welfare of our people and recognize the potential privation and suffering that will exist if each person and family does not accept the word of the Lord when he says, “Prepare every needful thing” (D&C 88:119), and “It must needs be done in mine own way” (D&C 104:16).

My brothers and sisters, I too have "anxiety" that there could be privation and suffering for the saints in the future if we do not follow the counsel of the prophets and the Lord's lovingly given commandment to prepare for the days ahead. Because...

* A days ration of food in a "longer-term" food supply contains fewer calories than the Jew's were given in many concentration camps. If the one family that has their food storage were to share their food with the twenty or more families that don't...as the food quickly runs out they might be blessed to survive, but would those who procrastinated receive the same blessings?

* The door of the ark was closed by God so that Noah couldn't open it to help the unprepared, the door was closed to the five unprepared "virgins." What if the Lord closed the door of those who have prepared through miraculous means or through something like a deadly plague.

* What if only those that had sufficient food for the journey could join a migration back to the New Jerusalem? Could you make the trip with what you have? Things didn't turn out so well for those that left without sufficent supplies on the trip to Utah..

While I know that many believe that the "tribulations" of the last days are far in the future...what if they aren't? The Lord has promised us, "And except those days should be shortened, there should none of their flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake, according to the covenant, those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 1:20 JST).

Have you put up your "insurance" against such a time as this? I pray so!



Resources:

President Eyring, "Act in All Diligence", May 2010
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.js...004d82620aRCRD

First Presidency, "All Is Safely Gathered In, Family Home Storage", 2007
http://www.providentliving.org/fhs/p..._04008_000.pdf

President Brigham Young, Mill Creek Ward Remarks, July 25, 1868